PNNL

“Papers of Note” honors were recently awarded to four papers co-written by 18 Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) researchers as part of the 2021 Waste Management Symposia (WMS).

The accolades recognize excellence given a paper’s relevance in 10 areas, ranging from its description of a novel approach to its technical content being of the highest quality. The areas ultimately reflect the Symposia’s mission to support safe, environmentally responsible, technically sound, and cost-effective waste management solutions. In total, the symposia recognized 17 papers as noteworthy, meaning PNNL took home nearly a quarter of the Papers of Note mentions.

The four papers were also among nine PNNL papers chosen as WMS “Superior Papers.” These honors represent the writing of 35 PNNL researchers. With almost half of PNNL’s submissions selected as superior, this year marks the largest cohort of PNNL researchers to be recognized as superior by WMS yet.

WMS organizers established “Superior Paper” awards at the 2015 symposia to recognize distinguished contributions to the advancement of radioactive waste and material management. PNNL researchers have been recognized in this manner every year since the awards’ inception.

WMS is the world’s largest and most prestigious conference on radioactive waste management and disposal, decommissioning, packaging and transportation, facility siting, and site remediation. This aligns with PNNL’s expertise in providing technical solutions for nuclear waste processing, spent fuel management, and environmental remediation. With recognition at the 2021 WMS, PNNL’s role in accelerating cleanup momentum was on display for over 1,400 industry specialists and managers from more than 17 countries.

The Papers of Note specific to PNNL went to:

• “An Evaluation of Electrical Resistivity Tomography for Stratigraphic Characterization of Paleochannels at the Hanford Site” – WMS #21024. Authors: Judy Robinson, Jon Thomle, Tim Johnson, Mark Rockhold, Vicky Freedman, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
• “Microreactor Transportability Challenges” – WMS #21072. Authors: Harold Adkins, Steven Maheras, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
• “A Review: PFAS Adsorption, Sensing, and Remediation with Engineered Nanoporous Materials”– WMS #21193. Authors: Radha Kishan Motkuri, Julian Schmid, Dushyant Barpaga, Gabriel Hall, Vaithiyalingam Shutthanandan, Pete McGrail, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory; Yu Cheng, Sagnik Basuray, New Jersey Institute of Technology; Sayandev Chatterjee, ESSENCE Diagnostics, LLC
• PNNL co-authored: “Evaluating EPA Leaching Test (Method 1313) to Relate the Long-term Performance of Nuclear Waste Glasses and Ancient Glasses” – WMS #21243. Authors: Albert Kruger, US Department of Energy; Jose Marcial, Lorena Nava-Farias, Jim Neeway, Carolyn Pearce, Christina Arendt, David Peeler, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory; Michael Schweiger, Contractor; Sam Walling, Clare Thorpe, Claire Corkhill, University of Sheffield; David Kosson, Rossane DeLapp, Vanderbuilt University

The previous four “Papers of Note” were also recognized as “Superior Papers,” in addition to these five PNNL papers:

• “Mercury Speciation of Hanford 241 AP 105 Tank Waste Samples” – WMS #21108. Authors: Courtney Bottenus, Shirmir Branch, Gary Gil, Christopher Myers, Katherine Muller, Matthew Fountain, Kathleen Munson, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
• Hanford Tank BY-108 Thermal Oxidation System Performance Testing Methodology – WMS #21055. Authors: Philip Schonewill, Michael Minette, Ken Rappe, Alan Cacher, Carl Enderlin, Eugene Morrey, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
• PNNL co-authored: “Collaborative Development of Conceptual Remediation Portfolios for an Abandoned Uranium Mill Site” – WMS #21145. Authors: Brian Looney, Savannah River National Laboratory; Peter Lempke, Navarro Research and Engineering, Inc.; Michael Truex, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory; Mark Kautsky, US Department of Energy
• “Structural Analysis to Qualify Hanford Double-Shell Tanks for Increased Waste Storage” – WMS #21150. Authors: Ken Johnson, John Deibler, Naveen Karri, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory; George Abatt, Ken Stoops, Larry Julyk, Becht Engineering Co.
• “Update on Development of a US Rail Transport Capability for Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Waste” – WMS #21353. Authors: Patrick Schwab, US Department of Energy; William Reich, UT-Battelle; Matt Feldman, Steven Maheras, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory; Scott Dam, TechSource, Inc.